8 August 2008

A representative for Shia LaBeouf has denied reports the actor will have to lose a finger on the hand he injured in a car crash last month . America's Star magazine reported on Wednesday that doctors had warned LaBeouf he may have to undergo surgery to have the little finger on his left hand amputated. The actor is currently nursing a heavily bandaged hand after flipping his truck twice in a collision with another vehicle in Hollywood on 27 July. He underwent surgery and spent several days in hospital, causing delays to his new movie Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. But publicist Melissa Kates maintains the 22-year-old is not in danger of losing a digit as the report is a "completely fabricated story".

Morgan Freeman has thanked the medics who treated him while he recovered from his horror car crash, after checking out of hospital on Thursday . The actor left the Elvis Presley Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, four days after he and a female friend were cut from the wreckage of his car, after he flipped it over in an accident near his home in Mississippi. The 71-year-old The Dark Knight star suffered a broken arm and shoulder, but escaped more serious injuries. His passenger Demaris Meyer was not badly hurt. In a statement released after he was discharged, Freeman also thanks fans for their support. He says, "I'm doing very well. I feel real good... I thank the staff at 'Elvis Presley' and many, many thanks to my many well-wishers. It's great to know people care about you." Speaking earlier on Thursday, Freeman's business partner Bill Luckett revealed the actor will have to wear a neck brace for six to eight months, joking, "The doctors have said it will be six months to a year before he plays golf again. He hates that."

Sir Sean Connery has won a minor victory against the neighbour blocking construction on his New York home, after a judge threatened to throw the man in jail if his complaints continued. The actor has been involved in an ongoing dispute with Dr. Burton Sultan over repairs at their shared Upper East Side townhouse. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Marcy Friedman told Sultan and his wife, Marilyn, on Wednesday that if they don't stop "obstructing" repairs to the East 71st street home, they could be found in contempt of court. Friedman added: "The last thing I want to do is put them in jail or assess them other penalties. If I have to because they're interfering, I will." The feuding pair reached an agreement last April , but accusations have continued to fly as Sultan insists the workers were trespassing in the back yard. Just last month, Sultan's calls to police prompted construction workers to lay down their tools, fearing they would be arrested in the ongoing quarrel between the pair. The two families have been feuding over repair work at the townhouse for almost seven years.

Former Friends star Lisa Kudrow has been named in a $50,000 lawsuit over accusations she failed to pay her manager. The actress is being sued by former manager Scott Howard, who claims he is owed commission. Kudrow parted ways with Howard in 2007 after 16 years together, but he is now seeking $50,000 in fees. Howard claims Kudrow agreed to halve his commission rate to five per cent, but insists he has not received payment for a year, reports the Hollywood Reporter. A spokesman for Kudrow declined to comment.

Actor Luke Wilson has designed a street sneaker/golf shoe hybrid for sportswear firm Puma. The Old School star, an avid golfer, teamed up with Swedish sports star Johan Edfors to create a line of Puma golf products - and he expects the new multi-purpose shoes to be the range's big seller. Wilson jokes he came up with the idea while preparing for a lazy summer in Hollywood. He says, "In between the strikes that keep happening in Hollywood, I have quite a bit of extra time on my hands, so, in between fixing up old Victorian houses and designing clothes and creating my own line of hair conditioner." Wilson plugged his new shoe on U.S. TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night by giving the late-night programme's host the golf sneakers he was wearing as a gift. The actor left the show in his socks. Wilson told Kimmel he still has no idea why he was approached to create a golf fashion line - because he's famously unstylish. He added, "I have friends that make fun of me (because) I tend to dress in the same colours, so I wind up looking a bit like the Ups (delivery) guy or just your local postman."

The widow of late comedian Rodney Dangerfield has been awarded the rights to his famous act, after a dispute with his daughter from another relationship. Joan Dangerfield filed a lawsuit against Melanie Roy-Friedman in 2006, after the latter attempted to release a DVD, featuring a 1988 Dangerfield performance in Las Vegas. And now a judge has ruled in her favour. Her attorney tells Tmz.com, "All copyrights to Rodney Dangerfield's act are held by Joan Dangerfield, who owns all of her late husband's intellectual property." Dangerfield died in 2004 at the age of 82. Before his marriage to Joan, he wed Joyce Indig - Melanie's mum - twice; from 1949-1962 and 1963-1970.

Paris Hilton has her sights set on opening her own Las Vegas nightclub. The enterprising socialite is in talks to take over a space in Sin City, where she already spends a lot of time partying - but she can't say much about it. She tells In Touch magazine, "I think I found a really good space, but I can't tell anyone. It's not trademarked yet."

Actress Penelope Cruz dodged questions surrounding her romance with Javier Bardem after she was cornered during a recent TV interview. The Spanish star has kept quiet on the pair's relationship since they were first snapped cuddling on a beach last summer - despite Bardem's No Country For Old Men co-star Woody Harrelson confirming the couple's romance earlier this year . Cruz was confronted by late night host David Letterman during an appearance on his show on Wednesday night, when he attempted to get the actress talking about Bardem's similarity to the characters he plays on film. But the Volver star refused to acknowledge her romantic involvement with the actor, snapping: "That's very hard to answer because I don't even ask myself when I'm preparing a character... So if I don't dare to compare myself with the character, I wouldn't do it with somebody else." She then quipped: "How do you like that for an answer? You can ask me about (Vicky Cristina Barcelona co-star) Scarlett (Johansson)." But Cruz did offer some praise for Bardem before leaving the stage, adding: "He's one of the most brilliant actors in the world."

Hollywood actress Kate Hudson has vowed to stop sharing details of her personal life with the press after years of struggling to keep quiet. The Fool's Gold star has endured a string of high profile on/off romances since splitting from ex-husband, rocker Chris Robinson, in 2006. And the 29-year-old star insists she's learned from her short-lived relationships with former flames, including cyclist Lance Armstrong and troubled actor Owen Wilson. She says, "I've learned that things are better left private until you're actually planning the wedding. It's so hard for me, because I'm so open, to hold back. I could really just go on forever about this stuff. "We can talk about Chris (until) the dogs come home. I married Chris, I had a baby with Chris, Chris will be in my life for the rest of my life." But Hudson adds there is one male in her life she will always love: her four-year-old son, Ryder. And she insists she doesn't regret having to make sacrifices to raise her son with Robinson. She adds: "Am I gonna look back and say, 'God, I wish I could have gone to that... that... concert? I'd rather be listening to my son sing songs. I'd rather be watching him sleep."

Actress Scarlett Johansson isn't in a rush to walk down the aisle with fiance Ryan Reynolds - because she still feels too young to marry. The pair announced their engagement last May after dating for just over a year. Johansson says, "We're just enjoying our time. We're just recently - very recently - engaged. So, you know, we're just taking it easy. And no big plan yet. "But it's a good time, and we're just... enjoying our time to be young and engaged. I mean, I'm 23. There's no reason to rush into it. Everything feels very natural and relaxed."

Lindsay Lohan's father Michael has branded U.S. TV journalist Anderson Cooper a "hypocritical idiot" after becoming involved in a war of words between his ex-wife Dina Lohan and the news anchor. Celebrated CNN reporter Cooper took a swipe at the Mean Girls star's younger sister Ali Lohan while hosting live U.S. morning show Live with Regis & Kelly on Tuesday . The journalist branded Ali and Dina's reality show, Living Lohan, a "train wreck", before comparing the 14-year-old to a 60-year-old and a "striptease person". The comments infuriated mum Dina, who hit back at Cooper in America's OK! magazine, warning, "People are just cruel! This is bad karma for him." And now the teen's dad Michael has also lashed out at the TV reporter, insisting he has no right to pass judgement on the Lohan family. He tells America's Access Hollywood, "I think Anderson Cooper is an opinionated, hypocritical idiot who should be an adult and keep his opinion to himself. He is the last person to judge anyone, when he and his own family have their own issues."

Former Buffy The Vampire Slayer star Eliza Dushku has upset animal rights activists in America after revealing she hunts elk and deer. The actress proudly showed off her bow and arrow skills on late-night chat show Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday and boasted about killing a deer in Oklahoma last Christmas . She also revealed she was hunting for elk in Colorado when she landed her role in upcoming TV series Dollhouse. Realising the studio audience had turned on her over her Bambi-killing antics, Dushku joked, "My mother called me herself and said, 'You're a liberal from New England, what the 'f' are you doing in Oklahoma shooting things." And when Kimmel took the actress to task for her hunting boasts, she defended her actions by stating, "When you're in a relationship with somebody you have to, like, experience things that they do." She added, "A lot of people eat meat... and I eat what I kill." Dushku's remarks have angered People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) activists, who insist the actress should put down her bow and stop hunting. A spokeswoman for the organisation says, "Slaying bloodthirsty vampires on Buffy is brave, but slaying innocent animals where they live and raise their families is cowardly and cruel. "Eliza is sorely out of step with the rest of the country; 95 per cent of Americans oppose hunting."

Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky's father will appear in a Turks and Caicos court on Friday to face grievous bodily harm charges following an altercation at an airport last week (ends01Aug08). Carl Blonsky was arrested with his daughter following a fight with U.S. reality TV star Bianca Golden on 29 July and both were taken into custody by Turks and Caicos Islands police. The teenage actress was charged with actual bodily harm, while her dad was charged with a felony and jailed. He will be released to attend court on Friday, when his bail will be decided. Nikki Blonsky and former America's Next Top Model contestant Golden remain free on bail. The actress faces a two-year prison spell if she's found guilty of actual bodily harm, when her case goes to court in December . The altercation between the Blonskys and Golden is alleged to have started in the departure lounge at the Providenciales International Airport after Blonsky attempted to save seats for her family and Golden had nowhere to sit.

Model/actress Jaime King and her husband Kyle Newman are suing their Beverly Hills, California neighbours over alleged illegal construction work. In court documents filed on Thursday , the couple accuse Armand and Soheila Newman of building walls and irrigation systems infringing on their property without legal permits. King and her husband claim their namesakes' building work has ruined their privacy, creating the risk of landslides and flooding on their property. King and Newman, who moved into their home in 2003, are asking a judge to halt all construction.

Miley Cyrus and Daniel Radcliffe have topped a list of Hollywood's highest earning youngsters. The Harry Potter star shares first place with singer/actress Cyrus in Forbes Magazine's poll of the world's richest young entertainers, published this week (beg4Aug08). Cyrus, 15, and Radcliffe, 19, and are both said to have earned an estimated $26 million in the months from June 2007 to June 2008. The top 5 is as follows: 1= Miley Cyrus, $26 million 1= Daniel Radcliffe, $26 million 3. Mary Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen, $15 million 4. The Jonas Brothers, $12 million 5. Zac Efron, $5.8 million.

Betty White has defended her decision not to attend Estelle Getty's funeral, insisting her former Golden Girls co-star would not have wanted her there. White and castmates Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan were accused by the media of disrespecting the late actress after they failed to attend her private memorial service last month . But White, 86, is adamant Getty would have been furious if her co-stars had turned up at the ceremony - because they would have attracted even further tabloid coverage. White explains, "We were with Estelle when it mattered. I didn't go to her funeral and Paul, her wonderful caretaker, knew I wasn't going to her funeral. "Funerals are about (the media) - who was there and who wasn't? That's not about Estelle. We adored her. To tell you the truth, her passing is tough on us, but it's a blessing for her. She's been so ill for so long, she's in a better place now, wherever she is." Getty died at her Los Angeles, California, home from Lewy Body Dementia, a progressive brain disease.

Actor James Franco has denied the design on a t-shirt he wears in upcoming movie Pineapple Express has been plagiarised. Franco wears a t-shirt bearing the image of a smiling kitten and shark in the movie - and New York t-shirt designers, Wowch, claim it is their design. But the star insists the shirt was made by the movie's director David Gordon Green. He tells the New York Daily News, "That's ridiculous. We completely created that shirt and that shark. "David wanted me to wear a purple Monterey Bay T-shirt with a whale on it. I said I wasn't into the whale shirt, so he came up with his own design, which was the shark."

British model Kate Moss is reportedly set to sign a $50 million deal to take her fashion range to China. The catwalk beauty struck a deal with U.K. retailer Topshop in 2006, which sees her design two clothing lines a year for the high street chain. The collection has subsequently been launched in the U.S. with the clothing line stocked at exclusive New York department store Barneys. And now Moss is rumoured to be on the verge of signing a lucrative agreement with Topshop owner Sir Philip Green which will see her designs go on sale in China. A source tells British newspaper the Daily Mail, "For the Chinese teenager with an eye on Western fashions, Kate Moss is pretty much the coolest person on the planet. "Philip Green knows that only too well." Green reveals that talks are in progress for a Chinese launch, but the details have yet to be finalised. He says, "Nothing has been confirmed yet."

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